Stories from Saturday, May 18, 2013

Blytheville Police Chief Ross Thompson has confirmed an officer was involved in a shooting that took place early Saturday morning. Thompson said the shooting occurred in the 400 block of First Street sometime before 6 a.m. Saturday. Arkansas State Police officers responded to the scene and began their investigation into what took place, and BPD as well has begun an internal investigation into the matter...

Recent reports from the Blytheville Police Department:

Wow! What an opportunity! I'm very excited about the Prayer Garden that is about to come to fruition in our town! Have you seen the layout online? If you haven't, then you need to make that a priority ... today! Prayer changes things ... that's what Scripture teaches us, and I don't think there is a community in the USA that doesn't need some change!...

Hard to believe a week has passed and an other article yet to be written. Even harder to believe that our trip to Helena/West Helena new animal shelter (scheduled three weeks ago) was attended by three of us.

Blytheville City Council members Stan Parks and John Musgraves donated supplies to the Mississippi County Senior Center recently

Paul and Nokkie Benade, of Hermanus, South Africa, admit that Blytheville may not stand out as one of the nation's great golf destinations, but for them Thunder Bayou Golf Course is a "can't miss" whenever they are stateside. The Benades head over from the small city they live in just outside Cape Town, South Africa to spend one-two months in Arkansas with their son, who plays rugby at Arkansas State University. ...

Blytheville High School held its annual graduation ceremony Friday night at Haley Field.

Main Street Blytheville has been named an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation...

A proposed $5 million to $7 million criminal justice facility is among several items in the Blytheville Police Department's 5-year plan.

Area residents will have an opportunity to receive free health screenings in August thanks to a project known as "Operation Healthy Delta." According to an email sent out to Blytheville City Council members by Mayor James Sanders' office, the 10-day clinic is being put on by the military, part of a four-state program that will be held Aug. 5-13...

The Blytheville Chickasaw football team will hold their "Spring Game" at 6 p.m. Thursday at Haley Field. There is no cost for admission but all attending are encouraged to bring a jar of peanut butter for head coach Vince McCrosky's "Peanut Butter Locker."...

Sam "Pug" L. Tillman, Jr. 84, of Blytheville, passed from this life Friday, May 17, 2013 at Great River Medical Center. Born in Tomato to Sam Lewis and Clydia Mae Belcher Tillman, he was a farmer and an active member of Clearlake Baptist Church and loved all his church "family"...

Mrs. Ruth Elizabeth Gibbs, 89, of Manila, widow of Mr. Claud Gibbs, passed from this life, Thursday May 16, 2013 at the Manila Nursing Center. Born at Camargo, Illinois, she was the daughter of the late Charles and Amanda Feeler Dyke and was a 1941 graduate of Villa Grove High School in Camargo. She lived most of her life in Illinois, was a retired piano teacher and a member of the Nameoki United Methodist Church in Granite City...

Baba Stewart DiMattia, 87, of Blytheville went to be with the Lord on Friday, May 17, 2013. She was born in Blytheville Jan. 2, 1926, to Ollie Edward Stewart and Estelle Scrape Stewart. Her family called her the "Miracle Baby" because she was pronounced dead at birth. She was covered with a sheet and placed in a corner and then her father heard her gasping...